1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a handwritten information input apparatus including a handwriting input region in which an operator is capable of freely inputting data by handwriting, and a text input item region for inputting text data in a previously determined item, and in particular, to a handwritten information input apparatus capable of recognizing a pencraft input by handwriting, and easily inputting a recognition result thereof in a text input item region.
2. Description of the Related Art
In front service such as customer service, telephone service, and the like, a person in charge mostly takes a note on paper during service, and inputs information in a computer by operating a keyboard and a mouse while watching the note after the completion of the service. In such service, there are problems: (1) the time and effort are repeated between the note taking and the data input, which particularly decreases the working efficiency of an operator unfamiliar with a keyboard; (2) it is difficult to input graphics with a keyboard and a mouse; and (3) it entails a cost to store an original note.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a handwritten information input apparatus is known, in which a required portion can be selected and input from an electronically input handwritten note, using a tablet or the like. Hereinafter, an input method in a conventional handwritten information input apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS. 17 to 23.
First, when an operator presses a handwritten note activation button 101 on a main screen in FIG. 17, a handwritten note input window 102 is opened as shown in FIG. 18. In the handwritten note input window 102, a handwriting input region 102a is provided, in which handwriting input can be performed with a pen or the like. The operator writes the contents of a note as shown in FIG. 18. After writing, when the operator presses a “Close” button 102b of the handwritten note input window 102, the handwritten note input window 102 returns to the main screen as shown in FIG. 19, and the handwritten note input previously is displayed in a note display region 103. In the note display region 103, a note cannot be added, and only the viewing and selection of a pencraft can be performed. This saves the operator from having to concern about whether a current mode is a handwritten note input mode or a pencraft selection mode.
Thereafter, the operator selects a pencraft desired to be recognized in the note display region 103 by a circle gesture using a pen, as shown in FIG. 20. In FIG. 20, a trail 104 of the circle gesture is displayed, assuming that the operator has selected a pencraft “Smith” in the note display region 103.
As shown in FIG. 21, when the operator presses a button adjacent to an item in which the operator desires to input a recognition result in a text input item region 105 after selecting the pencraft as described above, a character recognition window 73 is activated. In FIG. 21, the operator presses a “Customer” button 105b. In the character recognition window 73, a recognition result candidate of the pencraft selected by the operator in FIG. 20 is displayed. Simultaneously, an arrow-shaped graphic 74 pointing an input destination of the recognition result is displayed from the character recognition window 73 toward the “Customer” button 105b pressed by the operator. This enables the operator to visually recognize that the recognition result in the character recognition window 73 is input in the “Customer” item. In the case where there is no error in the recognition result in the character recognition window 73, the operator presses a confirmation button 73a of the character recognition window 73, whereby the recognition result is input in the “Customer” item as shown in FIG. 22.
As shown in FIG. 23, in the case where the recognition result candidate displayed in the character recognition window 73 is “Dost Office”, and the operator desires to correct it, when the operator taps the leading character “D” in the recognition result candidate with a pen, other recognition candidate characters are displayed in a candidate selection section 73b of the character recognition window 73, and a window 108 for displaying how a character is cut from the pencraft designated by the operator is activated in an upper portion of the character recognition window 73. In the case where the way to cut a character from the pencraft is incorrect, the operator can correct the character cut error by circling and underling a character on the window 108. A correct character may be rewritten in a writing frame 73c of the character recognition window 73 by handwriting, without using the window 108.
As described above, the conventional handwritten information input apparatus is more advantageous than a method for manually inputting information from a handwritten note to a computer after the completion of service in the following points: (1) the operator is saved from the time and effort for inputting information written on a note again; (2) owning to the handwriting input, it is also easy to input a graphic; and (3) it is not necessary to store an original note.
Furthermore, a system is also known, in which when a note is taken in a handwriting note region by handwriting input, data corresponding to each item of an input screen is automatically recognized, and input to the concerned item (e.g., see JP 2000-181606 A (FIGS. 9 and 10, pages 12-13).